First Film Festival in Annonay, Ardèche

Join us for the latest edition of the Annonay First Film Festival in northern Ardèche. Organised by the Maison des Jeunes et de la Culture, the festival features over 80 feature-length films from 25 countries, including previews, young filmmakers and new faces in cinema.

Annonay First Film Festival

The 43rd Annonay International First Film Festival takes place from 30 January to 9 February 2026 in the Ardèche town. Organised by Annonay’s MJC despite the constraints caused by the floods in October 2024, which deprived the town of its main cinema, the event will showcase a selection of 82 feature films, including 45 first films from 25 nationalities, with 24 films in previews.

Annonay’s MJC is spearheading this 43rd edition of the festival, in keeping with its mission to promote new cinematic talent. Due to the absence of the Les Nacelles cinema, screenings will be held at the Théâtre des Cordeliers, the Salle de La Presqu’île and the Salle des fêtes, in joint management with Cinéma Confluences. The festival set a new attendance record in 2025, with 21,866 admissions despite the same logistical constraints, a sign of strong local attachment.

2026 poster for the International First Film Festival in Annonay, Ardèche / Marion Roger

Opening night and news

The event kicks off on Friday 30 January with an inaugural evening at the Théâtre des Cordeliers. At 9pm, the film Sauvage will be previewed in the presence of director Camille Ponsin and actress Lou Lampros. From 6pm, the Festival Nest opens in the courtyard of the Cordeliers: a convivial space with entertainment, where the 48H tout court video marathon kicks off, involving both amateur and established videographers.

Focus on the new faces

The first weekend(31 January and¹ February) is devoted to the New Faces section, with nine feature films and as many guests.

They include Salomé Dewaels(Nino, Louise), Manon Clavel(Kika), Félix Lefebvre and Anja Verderosa(L’Épreuve du feu), Lena Garrel and Louiza Aura(Les Immortelles), Brangère Mc Neese(Les Filles du ciel, also a director), and Blandine Madec(Le Rendez-vous de LT).

On Sunday¹ February at 10.30am, a free round table discussion at the MJC will bring together these emerging talents to talk about their careers, followed by a buffet.

Varied weekly programming

From Monday 2 to Thursday 5 February, the festival offers more than ten screenings a day. Sections include first films out of competition, They’ve Been Here (a look back at past winners), If You Missed Them (recent hits not seen locally), and family films for all audiences.

There will also be “cartes blanches”, showcasing distributors such as Condor (six films), and selections from partner festivals such as Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux and Aubenas (Maison de l’Image).

Guest of honour and masterclass

Karim Leklou, a regular at the festival for his fourth appearance, presents Le Roman de Jim and Goutte d’or. On Tuesday 3 February, he will be hosting a masterclass at 2pm in the Theatre, discussing his vocation, filmography and aspirations.

Other guests will enrich the debates:

Jean-Luc Gaget, Arthur Dupont and Pauline Clément(Une fille en or)
Damien Dorsaz(Lady Nazca)
Cato Kusters(Julian)
Inès Tabarin(An Italian year)
Alice Vial(L’Âme idéale)
Vincent Mal Cardona(The Sun King)
Akihiro Hata and Damien Bonnard(Grand ciel).

Short films and Festival Off

New this year is an Off Festival of short films selected by a committee of young people (aged 15-25).

Two screenings are scheduled for Thursday 5 and Friday 6 February at 6.30pm, with an audience prize. This format, a springboard for careers, complements the range of feature films on offer.

International competition

The second weekend(6-8 February) culminates in a competition of ten first feature films never before seen in France, selected from over a hundred.

Films in competition this year:

À bras le corps (Marie-Elsa Sgualdo)
The dance of the foxes (Valéry Carnoy)
Sundays (Alauda Ruiz de Aza),
Where the wind comes from (Amel Guellaty)
The boy who made the hills dance (Georgi M. Unkovski)
The price war (Anthony Dechaux)
Memory (Vladlena Sandu, French premiere)
The mysterious gaze of the pink flamingo (Diego Céspedes)
Omaha (Cole Webley)
A fragile and wonderful world (Cyril Aris).

Seven of them will be attended by a representative (directors, actors, scriptwriters), followed by debates. The prizes (Grand Jury Prize, Special Prize, High School Jury Prize, Audience Prize) provide support for distribution in French cinemas. The jury is a mix of amateurs and professionals, including Esther Archambault, Clara Bretheau, Akihiro Hata, Mouna Soualem and Abbes Zahmani.

Events and partnerships

As well as screenings (130 in all), the festival has a packed cultural programme:

Conferences on cinema and video games
3D cinema and animation
Film-concerts(Le Masque de fer by ARFI, Les Amis de l’orgue )
Romanian performance by Rémy Vochet
Music and image workshops at the Lycée Boissy d’Anglas
Theatrical diary by Compagnie La Grenard
Thematic window display game with Annonay Plus
Ludimages (virtual reality, dubbing) at the Festival Nest

Around 5,000 pupils from schools across the region take part in school sessions.

Closure and extension

Sunday 8 February marks the highlights: the 48H tout court integral at 4.30pm, with the awards ceremony at 8pm (free admission), followed by Martin Jauvat’s Baise en ville at 9.30pm.

On Monday 9 February, the final screening will be a preview of La petite graine by the Rifkiss brothers. Decentralised screenings will follow in Saint-Julien-Molin-Molette, Lamastre, Pélussin, Romans-sur-Isère, Bourg-Argental, Vanosc and Saint-Vallier. Tickets, screening schedule and practical tools are available in the decentralised screenings section.

This event, supported by institutional (Annonay Rhône Agglo, Ardèche department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, etc.), cultural, associative and private partners, confirms Annonay as a fertile breeding ground for young French and international filmmakers.

Programme and information

Extracted from the press kit, here is a summary of the programme:

Programme of festival screenings :

A digital version (PDF format) is also available on the official website ↗

For the full programme and all the details of the Annonay First Film Festival in the Ardèche, visit the official website:

Getting to Annonay?

By car

To get to the Annonay First Film Festival, you can travel by car from the Rhône Valley or the Massif Central. Here are the driving routes to Annonay:

By train or bus

You can also choose to travel by train and bus, with several options available from the train stations in Lyon, Le Péage-de-Roussillon, Tain l’Hermitage, Valence TGV, and Valence city center: